Buffalo Bills News - April 18, 2002

Bills Face Gutsy Pick [10:01 PM]WIVB-TV reports:
'He will get the biggest rookie contract in Bills history..that's a given, so it puts huge pressure on the selection. Whether it's Mckinnie, Williams, Sims, Harrington, or someone else the Bills Brass deems worthy of that selection, they know whatever the name, he will need to be a household name in Buffalo for the next decade.'

Bills Upgrade With Accuracy At Kicker [9:58 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
The Bills officially announced the team has signed veteran place-kicker Mike Hollis. The immediate upgrade will translate to more points on the board for the Bills. Hollis comes to the Bills as the sixth most accurate kicker in NFL history.

Bills-Pats Trade Talks for Bledsoe Heating Up [3:00 PM]ESPN.com reports:
"The Bills "really believe they're going to get (Bledsoe) now" one league source told ESPN.com. [Donahoe's] rationale has been that the Bills have had the best offer on the table, believed to be a third-rounder, and that the Patriots have no other serious bidders. Faced with the prospect that Bledsoe will not report to training camp, New England may now be prepared to reduce its demands." (Aside: You have to think that this means the Bills will be grabbing an OT with the first overall pick if this goes down.)

BUMP: Bills will trade, go for Roy Williams or DT [2:33 PM]Shout! reports:
@ As Wednesday dawned, the draft was barely three days away. That's 72 hours, give or take, but do we really know any more about what the Bills might do with their first-round draft pick than we did 72 days ago?

Bills in line to make big pick [5:38 AM]D and C reports:
'One thing we do know: If the Bills don't trade down, or don't include their first-round draft position in a potential deal for New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe, they are going to land a whale of a football player with that fourth overall selection.'

Bills trade Foreman to Texans [5:38 AM]D and C reports:
'Despite a respectable 95 tackles, Foreman was not a playmaker or an impact player, and Williams clearly wanted to upgrade at the position.'

Texans trade for LB Foreman [5:37 AM]Houston Chronicle reports:
'Rogers, whom the Texans acquired in the expansion draft, was expendable because the team also picked up Jermaine Lewis in the expansion draft.'

Buffalo is Now Linebacker Robinson's Neighborhood [8:50 PM]WIVB-TV reports:
'Robinson expects to get more playing time in Buffalo, as the Bills will use him on third downs. He will replace Foreman as the starter at the weakside (away from the Tight End) position. He, London Fletcher and Keith Newman will be the team's three starting 'backers.'

Bills wheel and deal before the draft [8:48 PM]WKBW-TV reports:
'You can see him Tom Donohoe working, slowly, methodically putting the pieces in place...re-building the Bills. You can see it today, even before the NFL Draft.'

Bills sign LB Eddie Robinson; acquire KR Rogers [8:42 PM]Sportsticker reports:
'Foreman, 26, started all 16 games at weakside linebacker for the Bills last season, but Williams was seeking to upgrade the position. In Houston, he will likely start along with Jamie Sharper, who was claimed in the expansion draft, and free agent signee Kailee Wong at linebacker.'

Joey not going to New York; may slip to #8 or lower [7:32 PM]ESPN reports:
Despite published reports Panthers are still considering him with the 2nd overall choice, ESPN has learned that is not the case, and that the team will opt for Peppers unless it receives an attractive offer to trade out of #2 spot. Detroit also is not expected to choose Harrington with the #3 pick and, if that is the case, he might not be a viable option until the #8 or #10 choices, held, respectively, by the Chiefs and Bengals.

Rogers A Special Addition For The Bills [6:59 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Buffalo Bills fans might remember Charlie Rogers most for his 81-yard kickoff return during a nationally televised game against the Bills on December 23, 2000. What they may not know is that the speedy Rogers has grown into one of the top return specialists in the league over the past three years.

Safety feels he'll return (to Dallas) [5:13 PM]Fort Worth Star Telegram reports:
'Williams was less than enthralled by his recent visit to Buffalo (fourth pick overall) because of the weather.'

Bills agree to terms with linebacker Robinson, trade LB Foreman [2:16 PM]AP reports:
'"He has so much faith in Gregg Williams and confidence in Jerry and they really sold him on the fact that he could be an every-down player with them," Robinson's agent, Kennard McGuire said. "He's excited. I have not heard this type of excitement from Eddie in a long time."'

Draft Day filled with intrigue for Bills [1:06 PM]BillsDaily reports:
With the Bills having the 4th overall pick in the draft you would think it would be easy to figure out what they will do. The fact is the Bills have many different options available and we may not know until after 1 pm on Saturday as to what they will do.

LB Robinson Agrees To Terms [12:34 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
The Bills today announced that the team has agreed to terms with free agent linebacker Eddie Robinson. Robinson started 15 of 16 games at right outside linebacker for the Titans last year. He was second on the team with 101 tackles and added two interceptions, a sack, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

Bills Sign Robinson [12:32 PM]Titans Radio reports:
The veteran LB postponed a decision last week because of the birth of his child. The Titans released Robinson March 1 because he wanted to seek a situation with more playing time. The Titans wanted Robinson back but as a situational and special teams player.

Bill trade Foreman for return specialist [12:32 PM]ESPN reports:
@ Jay Foreman doesn't have to worry about Eddie Robinson wanting his number - it is no longer his - he has been traded to the expansion Houston Texans for former Seahawk kick-return specialist Charlie Rogers.

The funny part of the story is that a year ago, Williams wanted to move Sam Cowart to the weakside OLB job. It was Robinson who convinced Cowart that he may not like playing that position because it did not offer as many tackles and big plays as the ILB job.

Bruce's golf benefit takes a bad bounce [9:12 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Smith is caught in the middle of a controversy that forced him to end a charity golf tournament that bore his name for more than a decade.'

State should investigate charity golf event [9:11 AM]Norfolk Virginian Pilot reports:
'For a decade, the Bruce Smith Charity Golf Classic raised money on behalf of some 20 big-name worthy causes, like the Children's Hospital of The Kings Daughters, Operation Smile and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. It claims to have raised $150,000 for those charities, but its own records put the figure at $50,000. And the charities show $65,000. So, where did the rest of the money go?'

Linebacker Robinson, 32, to join Bills [5:14 AM]D and C reports:
'Agent Kennard McGuire said Robinson chose Buffalo because of his close ties with coach Gregg Williams and defensive coordinator Jerry Gray, his former coaches in Tennessee. Also, the Titans could not guarantee the playing time on third down that Buffalo could.'

Draft hit by Carr-load of cash [5:13 AM]D and C reports:
'"To be honest, when you get involved in a draft, it's never been a question here with Mr. Wilson of 'Hey, we can't afford this player,' " general manager Tom Donahoe said Tuesday. "Mr. Wilson wants to win as much any of us and he knows that in order to win, you need good players and good players are going to be paid. So that's not an issue."'

LB Robinson leaves Titans for Bills [5:12 AM]Nashville Tennessean reports:
'Robinson, 32, was the Titans' second-leading tackler with 101 stops last season, giving him more than 100 tackles in a season for the fifth time in his career. He also had two interceptions, one sack, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.'

April 16, 2002

Crystal Ball [9:38 PM]WGRZ-TV reports:
'My story, and I'm sticking with it, is the Bills take one of four outstanding defensive tackles, depending on which one they liked most from their personal interviews in Orchard Park, along with what they've seen on film and from other sources on the players. Without knowing those intimate details, the front runner would appear to be Ryan Sims of North Carolina.'

Donahoe keeps everyone guessing on NFL draft plans [9:10 PM]AP reports:
'"Obviously, we have to go to camp with more than two quarterbacks," Donahoe said. "Will that be another veteran? Will it be a draft pick? I don't know the answer to that at this point."'

AFC Draft Needs [9:09 PM]buffalobills.com reports:
Miami's OL was banged up last year but that's just an excuse for a line that needs to get better, especially blocking for Ricky Williams now. The Jets need at least one more solid tackle to put in front of a great group of linebackers but the top four tackles won't be around when they pick.